1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage medium for storing an application program for a car racing game. In the car racing game, a player controls movement of a car with a game controller while viewing a display of the race on a TV monitor and attempts to pass cars operated by opposing players.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional car racing games have predetermined starting and finishing points on a racecourse at which the race begins and ends, respectively. Normally, the order in which cars cross the finish line is used to determine the winner and losers of the race.
Since the starting and finishing points are set near the beginning and ending of the racecourse, these conventional games offer little freedom of movement to the players. Also, since the course of events during the race always occur in the same order, the novelty of the game tends to diminish over time. In addition, the game is likely to grow dull because the players must always drive over the entire course to the finish line in order to win the race. Single mistakes committed during a race have little effect on the outcome, thereby reducing the feeling of tension in the competition. Further, most conventional race games include several competing cars and are not suitable for one-on-one or one-on-two style racing.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide an application program for a car racing game supporting one-on-one or one-on-two style racing. It is another object of the present invention that the race has no predetermined starting and finishing points for beginning and ending the race. Instead the player drives freely over the racecourse until agreeing to begin a race with an opposing player, the race beginning from the point of agreement. Each player possesses points for continuing play. Points are decreased based on positional relationships with other cars, thereby enabling the state of the race to change rapidly and providing a feeling of tense competition in which one mistake can result in losing the race. The game ends whenever a player""s points reach zero.
These objects and others will be attained by an application program for a car racing game comprising the following subprograms. A main menu subprogram enables the player to select a car for racing, change car parts, view information on opposing cars, change the functional arrangement of controller buttons, and the like before the player begins driving on a predetermined racecourse. A free driving subprogram enables the player to drive freely on a predetermined racecourse while searching for opponents until a race begins. A car racing subprogram implements passing and other aspects of a race from the point the race between the player and an opponent begins until the end of the race. An end-of-race processing subprogram displays results of the race, displays or saves a replay of the race, and allows the player to select whether to return to free driving or to the main menu. The car racing subprogram includes a race result determining subprogram for providing players with an initial point value at the beginning of the first race to enable the players to start and continue races, determining the positional relationship between cars and calculating the distance therebetween at prescribed periods, decreasing the points of a car trailing the leading car by a predetermined subtraction value corresponding to the distance between the cars, and determining the winner of the race when the opponent""s points drop to 0 and ending the race at that point.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the free driving subprogram comprises a race start determining subprogram for starting a race from a point on the racecourse at which either the player passes an opposing car and is passed by the same opposing car in return or an opposing car passes the player and the player passes the same opposing car in return.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the free driving subprogram comprises a race start determining subprogram for starting a race from a point on the racecourse at which either the player flashes hazard lights at an opposing car or passes an opposing car and the same opposing car flashes hazard lights or passes the player in return, or an opposing car flashes hazard lights or passes the player and the player flashes hazard lights or passes the same opposing car in return.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a predetermined subtraction value is subtracted from a player""s points in the race result determining subprogram based on the distance between cars and is a lower value when the distance between cars is small and a higher value when the distance between cars is large.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the subtraction value subtracted from a player""s points SP is calculated by dividing the distance behind the leading car into a plurality of sections, each having a primary curve representing the subtraction value that grows at a different rate as the distance behind the leading car increases. The primary curve having the smallest growth rate is used to determine the subtraction value for a trailing car in a first section nearest the leading car, while primary curves having progressively larger growth rates are used to determine the subtraction value for a trailing car in a second or subsequent section farther from the leading car.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the points SP used in the race result determining subprogram are further decreased when a car contacts or collides with a wall or other car by a subtraction value proportional to the force of collision perpendicular to the wall or other car.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the force of collision perpendicular to the wall or other car collided with is calculated by the expression (xc2xd)m(v sin xcex8)2 at prescribed periods when a car having a mass m and moving at a velocity v contacts or collides with the wall or other car at an angle xcex8, and a subtraction value proportional to the calculated force of collision is subtracted from the points used in the race result determining subprogram.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the prescribed time is {fraction (1/60)} seconds, corresponding to the time for one frame to be displayed, or an integral multiple thereof.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a storage medium stores the application program for the car racing game. The storage medium comprises a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, or a ROM having a higher storage density than a CD-ROM with a capacity of at least 1 gigabyte per disc.